Summer of My Continental Soldier
by dudeurfugly
Summary: When Jenna's family moves to South Carolina, she discovers that their new house is a little unusual. However, she never imagined that the presence haunting it could make her heart flutter out of something entirely different than fear.
1. Echoes of the Past

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except Jenna, Maggie, and their parents. And since part of the plot is based on the Mediator series by Meg Cabot, I don't own that, either. The title of the fic is also a take off the book "Summer of my German Soldier", which isn't mine. **

**A/N: This is my first Patriot fanfic…I can't say all of the chapters will be this long, but I'll try. I really shouldn't be starting another fic on top of the ones I already have going, but I caught some of the movie the other day (after not seeing it for awhile), and I couldn't wait to get this little plot bunny out of my head. I hope you like it! Please R&R!**

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Jenna was falling.

She barely had time to open her eyes and react before she felt herself tumbling unceremoniously out of the backseat of the car, landing face down on the blacktop with a less than flattering yelp.

_Well, that was pleasant, _she thought, _I wanted to step onto South Carolina's soil, not _eat _it. _

She stayed sprawled out on the side of the driveway, somewhat incoherent. There was definitely a piece of rock digging uncomfortably into her leg, but she couldn't will her stiff body to move. After being holed up in a car for the past day and half--her Dad had this _brilliant_ idea that making the trip via car would give them more "bonding time" than a simple plane ride--all she wanted to do was lie there.

Jenna glared up at her father, who was standing over her, blocking out the warm afternoon sun. Her dad grimaced. "Oh…sorry, Jenna," he apologized, ignoring the scowl that had taken up residence on his daughter's face, "I didn't know you were sleeping."

_Way to go, Dad. Way. To. Go. _

He offered his hand out to her, but she didn't take it. She waved him off with annoyance and he walked away to join his wife on the porch of their new home. From where she was, Jenna could tell that they were talking about her, especially since her mother kept glancing in her direction. Ear pressed to the ground, Jenna remained still, suddenly curious when she heard what seemed like hooves racing over the grass--an entire group of horses galloping with a certain urgency. She picked her head up and peered off into the distance, not seeing a single horse in her line of vision. And the weird thing was, it sounded so _close_.

Her mother leaned over the railing of the porch, concerned. "Jenn, honey, are you okay?" she called.

"I'm fine, Mom," The eighteen year old responded, placing her ear against the pavement once again. "I'm just…chilling."

"In the driveway? Like _that_?"

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Yeah."

Disregarding the numerous odd looks from her parents, Jenna concentrated on the sound she had heard moments earlier. As soon as the thunderous roar of hooves returned, she was rudely interrupted by her younger sister. The eight year old squatted down beside Jenna's face, her head tilted to the side in confusion.

"What're you _doing_, Jenna?" she giggled, "You look silly."

"Shush, Mags, I'm trying to listen."

"To what?"

Jenna closed her eyes, determination etched into her features. Maggie mimicked Jenna's actions, lying down on the grass and squeezing her eyes shut tightly. The sisters were quiet for a few minutes, with Maggie squirming impatiently and peeking at her older sibling with interest. Meanwhile, Jenna was marveling at the noises that filled her ear--hooves pounding against the earth, men shouting to each other. An unexpected gunshot rang out, causing her to jump up with a startled gasp.

"What is it?" Maggie questioned. "I didn't hear anything."

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "You didn't? But Maggie…it was so _loud_…" She trailed off, noticing that her sister had started shaking her head vigorously, dark curls bouncing every which way. The teenager was left bewildered--she knew she couldn't have imagined those noises. They had sounded _real_, like she was in the very center of the action. It was almost as if she was hearing the echoes of the past. But _how_?

The teenager pulled herself into a sitting position and finally got to her feet, brushing off her jeans. Maggie made a mad dash into the large expanse of perfectly manicured grass that was now their front yard, twirling around and enjoying the intense sunlight. Her parents had already retreated into their house, most likely to devise a plan for the furniture that needed to be unloaded from the U-Haul that had followed them down from Pennsylvania.

Jenna studied their new home for the first time, astonished at how beautiful it looked. Since her father had taken this job in South Carolina, they were able to afford a much more luxurious house than the tiny suburban one they owned back in Pennsylvania. Jenna had this idea in her head that she was going to hate living practically in the middle of nowhere--it _would _take some getting used to--but now that she laid eyes on the house, that ridiculous thought disappeared. She could almost sense the history of this place.

The house was a classic farmhouse style with traditional southern colonial architecture. It was two stories; an elegant cream color with black shutters that stood out against the stark white trim. There were wide front porches on both levels, held up by pillars that seemed as though they belonged in an ancient Greek monument. And from what Jenna could tell, there were also porches in the _back_ of the house. A front room jutted out from the side of the porch by the main entryway, and it was all windows, as was the rest of the house. Sophisticated, colonial windows that Jenna appreciated, with their simple yet classy design. A huge white chimney completed the house, looming above Jenna with a sense of power.

She ambled up the stone pathway that lead to the stairs of the porch, admiring the landscaping as well. Everything was flawlessly maintained; the previous owner must've taken great pride in it. It made Jenna wonder, though, why would someone even _dream_ of giving a house like this up? Truth be told, however, she was grateful that they had moved out. She was absolutely _in love _with this place, and they hadn't even been there for twenty minutes. It made her feel like a princess. She could just picture herself here--reading on the porch, enjoying the warm summer nights, chasing Maggie through the garden. It was perfect. She hadn't been this genuinely _happy_ in awhile.

After the teenager snapped out of her dreamlike trance, she realized that she was the only one standing outside. Eagerly, Jenna stepped into the house. Her parents were in the living room deciding on a floor plan, and she could hear Maggie bounding throughout the house on some sort of eight year old adrenaline rush. Jenna smiled once she saw the lavish, hardwood staircase with a banister that she knew Maggie would try to--if she hadn't already--slide down. She was halfway up the stairs when Maggie shouted her name. Jenna whirled around and allowed Maggie to join her in the middle of the staircase. The little girl tugged on her elder sister's hand, dragging her up the rest of the stairs and into the hallway.

"Lemme show you my room!" She proceeded the pull Jenna down the hall, their shoes thudding on the polished hardwoods. Maggie shuffled into the bedroom she had chosen, which was right over the front room that was downstairs, and across the hall from the bathroom. The bedroom was incredibly sunlit, as was the rest of the house, due to the amount of windows.

"It's very nice, Mags."

"Take the room next to mine," Maggie ordered playfully, "You'll like it--I'll show you!"

Jenna felt herself being wrenched in another direction, out into the hall and to the bedroom beside her young sister's. She stood inside the doorway as Maggie ran across the floor and opened the glass double-doors that lead onto the porch. Jenna was overwhelmed by it all; the fact that it was gigantic in comparison to her old room in Pennsylvania and that she actually had her own porch. The windows in this room were amazing--she had about three or four of them, including the glass that was in the doors. Strolling over to them, she went out onto the porch and marveled at the view of the yard and the land that they owned.

Maggie leaned her head against the railing, grinning as the summer breeze blew through her hair. She looked up at her sister, her blue eyes sparkling.

"It's so pretty."

"It's too good to be true," Jenna replied, her own blue orbs meeting her sibling's, "I feel like royalty."

Maggie giggled. "Me too."

"C'mon," Jenna said, taking her sister's hand, "let's go help unpack."

The rest of the afternoon was spent unloading their belongings from the car and the U-Haul truck, and lugging them to their respective locations all around the house. By dinnertime, most of the downstairs furniture had been set up, but there were still piles of boxes that needed to be sorted through. The family also had to put up with sleeping on their mattresses for a few nights, at least until the beds could be assembled. After eating a late dinner of pizza that Maggie and her father had to drive a couple of miles into town to pick up, the exhausted family retired to their rooms.

It was nearing eleven o'clock, but Jenna found that she couldn't sleep. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the strangeness of sleeping in a different house for the first time. Or, maybe she was still kind of creeped out by this feeling that had been hanging over her ever since she had started helping her parents unpack that afternoon. She'd had this feeling of someone constantly watching her, and it made her nervous. Jenna loved the house, but there was something _different _about it. She just couldn't figure out what it was.

She had spent the last half hour going through the numerous cardboard boxes that littered her floor, searching for a lamp to plug into the wall across from where her mattress had been situated. As soon as she successfully located said lamp and plugged it in, Jenna climbed onto her makeshift bed and sat with her book propped up against her knees. The light, summer air wafted through a window that she had left partially open, fluttering the pages of her book and her slightly wavy auburn hair.

Jenna turned a page, engrossed in the novel, when the lamp beside her flickered. Her gaze immediately snapped to the lamp, and she watched it with an odd sort of interest. It wavered a few more times before going out altogether, earning a surprised gasp from the teenager's mouth. She quickly ear-marked the page and set the book down next to her on the mattress. Reaching over, Jenna turned the light back on and stared at it--half curious, half scared--to see what would happen. A couple minutes passed, and Jenna waited on bated breath. The light flickered rapidly, and another minute went by before the lamp went out again.

"Okay." Jenna whispered, fear causing her voice to shake. She pushed the book off the mattress and laid down, her back purposefully facing the lamp. She squeezed her eyes shut, begging sleep to come.

The lamp switched on.

Jenna let out a frightened squeak. "This can't be happening." she told herself, getting up from the mattress. She marched over to the plug and yanked the cord out. She all but sprinted back into bed, burying her face in a pillow.

That's when the floorboards by the closet creaked, as if groaning under the weight of something, or _someone_. Jenna freaked, jerking the sheet she was using as a blanket high over her head.

"Go away." she demanded, her heart racing. She knew she wasn't alone in the room, and that realization scared her. "Go away…"

The footsteps began traveling away from the front of the closet, making a soft but noticeable _thump_ as each footfall collided with the floor. They stalked closer to the mattress she was occupying, and Jenna held her breath, not daring to remove the sheet. The footsteps stopped abruptly, and the feeling of someone watching her returned. Jenna could almost feel a presence hovering over her. She attempted to take slow, deep breaths to calm herself down, but the weird entity stayed where it was.

"Leave me alone," Jenna told it. "Please…just _go away_."

Jenna could've sworn that something brushed along the top of the sheet.

And she thought she heard a voice whisper to her, "I will not hurt you."

But she couldn't be sure.

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**A/N: I hope you're interested...****Please Review! I'll appreciate it!**


	2. A Secret Between Sisters

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from The Patriot, sadly.**

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I wasn't expecting such a great response this fast. I just wanted to let you all know that there's a link to the picture of the house I'm using for Jenna's family on my profile. Enjoy Chapter 2! **

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The following afternoon, Jenna was utterly exhausted, not having slept much last night. Even though the mysterious footsteps had disappeared as quickly as they had come, Jenna had stayed awake for the rest of the night, fearful that something_ else_ would happen. Despite the fact that her parents did not share the same ideas, Jenna had always been a firm supporter of the existence of things that were beyond this world. Last night's occurrences had further cemented that belief in her mind. She was confident that whatever had been in her bedroom was something ghostly. She also had a feeling that the weird sensation of someone watching her every move was connected to it. However, Jenna couldn't be sure that the noises she had heard in the driveway played any part in this.

Jenna knew that South Carolina was rich in history like the rest of the states. She just wasn't certain of how much of it had hung around, embedded in every fiber of this country. There were solid artifacts in museums all over the place, of course, but what Jenna had in mind wasn't very tangible. She couldn't assume, however, that what she had witnessed had anything to do with a past that was centuries earlier. It just made her curious about the new house and the vast property that surrounded it. What had taken place beneath her feet years and years before her time? She could barely grasp how much history the soil and trees had probably seen. It was astounding.

"Jenna?" Her mother's voice caused her to snap out of her reverie, jumping a bit. She spun around to face her mother, who was standing in the doorway, a pile of sea green sheets, blankets, and pillowcases in her hands. Jenna recognized them as her own and covered the distance between herself and her mom to retrieve them.

Her mother handed the pile over to her, then pressed a hand to her daughter's forehead. "Jenna, are you feeling all right? You've been acting strange all day." She removed her hand, content that her eldest wasn't running a fever. "Why are you so jumpy?"

"Nothing…you startled me."

She shot Jenna a disbelieving look, and the eighteen year old crossed her arms over her chest.

"Mom, what do you want me to say? I'm fine."

"Well, after your behavior yesterday, I don't know _what _to think."

"The driveway thing?"

"_Yes_, the driveway thing," she sighed. "Are you sure you didn't bump your head?"

"I'm pretty positive I would know if I hit my head or not."

"Jenna, I'm just worried. You can never be too careful, especially after--"

"_Mom_," Jenna replied firmly, not wishing to dig up certain memories at the moment, "I swear I'm okay."

With a roll of her own blue eyes, her mother relented. "All right. Holler if you need any help unpacking."

"I will."

Jenna carried her freshly cleaned sheets, blankets, and pillowcases to her bed and laid them down. She would save that for later, when she was finished with everything else. She had already stored her entire wardrobe in her dresser and massive walk-in closet--a real luxury--and now she was sifting through boxes of other items, like picture frames, movies, CDs, and books. Her book collection took up two whole boxes in and of itself. Putting them all on her bookshelf was a chore that she decided would come last, before she had to make her bed.

The teenager was storing her movies and CDs on a smaller shelf when Maggie entered.

"Hiya, Jenn!" she said brightly. Jenna looked up from where she was kneeling on the floor and smiled. Her younger sister always _did_ have that ability to light up a room simply by walking in.

"Hey, Mags," the elder sibling answered. "What'cha up to?"

Maggie couldn't stay still; she was shifting back and forth on her feet, her eyes darting around the room.

"I'm bored," the eight year old complained in her tiny, little girl voice. It never ceased to remind Jenna of wind chimes. "Can I help?"

"Yeah, sure. See that box over there?" She pointed to the far corner, where a smaller cardboard box sat. Maggie nodded. "It has picture frames in it. You can figure out where to put them all." The little girl skipped across the floor, bare feet squeaking slightly on the polished wood. Jenna couldn't help but cringe, reminded of the heavy footsteps that had reverberated through the room last night. While the two of them set to work, Jenna chose to bring it up to her sister. They could tell each other anything--they had a strong bond, and shared many secrets together, confiding in each other whenever necessary. And although Maggie was only eight, she proved to be an excellent listener.

Jenna let a silence settle between them before she spoke. "Maggie? Can I ask you something?"

"You just did!"

Smirking, Jenna rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean," she responded, getting to her feet to shut the door. She didn't want to run the risk of her mother overhearing the conversation that was to follow. She knew that would probably make her worry-wart mother even worse. "Sister-sister confidentiality." Maggie was forever awed by such a big word whenever her sister used it, but before they'd ever had one of these talks, Jenna had explained its meaning.

"Okay."

"Good," Jenna resumed her spot by the shelf as Maggie wandered the room, searching out locations for her sister's many picture frames. "I wanted to know if…well…you think something's _different _about this house."

Maggie turned, eyes narrowed as if deep in thought. "Different?" she echoed.

"Like…we're not the only ones in it."

Maggie shrugged. "I dunno."

"You don't feel like someone's always near you? Someone you can't see?"

The eight year old rubbed her bare arms, trying to rid herself of the goose bumps that had arisen on her skin. Jenna took note of this, and it made her curious. Yet, she instantly felt bad.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Mags."

"It's okay," Maggie said. "Why are you asking?"

Jenna laughed nervously, unsure if telling her sister what she had experienced would frighten her even more. The last thing she needed was Maggie having a nightmare about this and getting their parents involved.

"Never mind. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No! I wanna _know_!"

"You wouldn't believe me. Besides, I don't want to freak you out."

"Jennaaaa, I wanna know! Tell me!" the eight year old stuck out her lower lip and deployed the sad puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

"Aww, come on, you can't do that to me! That's not fair!" Jenna scolded lightheartedly. "You know I can't say no to that face."

Maggie giggled. "Exactly."

"Come here," Jenna beckoned her younger sibling forward, and Maggie sat down beside her, resting the picture frame in her lap. She moved closer and waited eagerly for her sister to speak. Jenna took a deep breath. Her hands were beginning to shake just thinking about what she had witnessed. "Remember yesterday in the driveway when I was trying to listen to something? Every time I put my ear against the ground, I could hear horses…and soon I could hear men shouting…and a gunshot."

A puzzled expression worked its way onto Maggie's face. "I didn't--"

"I know you didn't, but _I _did," Jenna interrupted. "It was clear as day, Maggie. Then, I kept getting this weird feeling that I told you about. And last night…" The elder sister trailed off.

"What?" Maggie prompted.

"Last night I couldn't sleep, so I was up reading a book. I had a lamp plugged in and it started going off and on by itself," The eight year old gasped. "I tried to ignore it but then I heard footsteps…and…"

"_And_?" the little girl encouraged again, hanging onto her sister's every word.

"I thought I heard someone talk to me."

Maggie's eyes sparkled, both interested and a bit terrified. "What did they say?"

"It almost sounded like, 'I will not hurt you'."

"You think our house is _haunted_?"

"It could be. I can't think of any other explanation for it."

"The ghosts won't hurt us, right?" Maggie wasn't especially convinced.

Jenna hooked an arm around her sister's small frame. "I hope not," she admitted, also wondering if the mysterious entity was telling the truth or not. "I won't let them hurt _you_, at least."

"Maggie!" Their mother's shout interrupted their bonding moment, "Can you come here, please?"

"Coming!" Maggie set the picture frame on the floor and scrambled to her feet. She was approaching the door when Jenna called her name. Hand on the door handle, Maggie looked back at her sister.

"Our secret?" she asked.

Maggie lifted her other hand, dragging it across her lips like she was zippering them shut. She nodded with a slight smile, then skipped out of Jenna's bedroom and toward the direction where her mother's voice had come from, shutting the door behind her. Jenna went back to work, finishing up the small shelf. She readjusted some of the picture frames that her sister had unpacked, and moved on to the daunting task of arranging her book collection. She started off by putting them into several piles throughout the space. Once that had been done, Jenna stood and took a breather, stretching out her stiff muscles.

Gazing out one of her windows, Jenna admired the swirl of colors that painted the evening sky. This was her second sunset in South Carolina, and yet she was still left amazed by the sight. She decided to take a break to watch the sun go down. Ambling barefoot onto her private porch, Jenna leaned against the railing and took in the natural beauty that surrounded her. The breeze was just beginning to cool off, but it felt refreshing. Off in the distance, Jenna could discern a few birds silhouetted against the vivid sky. Everything seemed so peaceful in contrast to the busy suburbs she was used to. She was beginning to adjust to life in the country quite well, in fact. Better than she had imagined, all current issues put aside.

The calmness that had enveloped the teenager did not last for very long, unfortunately. All of a sudden, there was a loud crash from inside her bedroom that sounded suspiciously like a few piles of books had been knocked over by _someone_. Especially since there was a groan that followed. Jenna had originally thought it to be Maggie, but the groan was surprisingly masculine. Her second best guess was that it had been her father, in which case she didn't really _want_ to go investigate. Things would escalate rather quickly into an argument if she did. Then again, she hadn't exactly heard the door open--and that was hard to miss, given its annoying creaky hinges.

With an irritated sigh, Jenna padded back into her room to inspect the damage. She nearly fainted at what she laid eyes on. A couple of stacks of books had toppled over, but that wasn't what had caused Jenna's heart rate to increase. There was a stranger sitting on the floor, rubbing the back of his head like he'd smacked it on the bookshelf that was located a foot or so behind him. His head was bent so Jenna couldn't see his face, but she wasn't really concerned with that detail yet. She was focused on his clothing, which looked like it had come from a period that had passed a long time ago. It appeared as though he could've jumped right from the pages of her American History textbook, which would've been one explanation for it if she hadn't noticed that he was _glowing_ faintly. And, he was transparent. Not overwhelmingly transparent, but it was noticeable enough.

Jenna wasn't sure how to react to this. She studied him inquisitively, still in shock and a little afraid. He stopped massaging the back of his head--Jenna thought ghosts normally went _through_ things; she was perplexed as to how his head had made contact with the bookshelf--and pulled himself up with another groan. Jenna's blue eyes were transfixed on him as he finally looked in her direction.

His somewhat curly, dirty blonde hair was in a ponytail; the loose strands that had escaped were dangling over his forehead. He had a strong bone structure, as if his face had been delicately carved by angels. Well, at least in _Jenna's_ humble opinion. She felt her cheeks getting flushed once she saw the most striking part of him--his soft, chocolate brown eyes. She didn't know how old he was--it didn't matter anyway; he'd been born a couple of centuries, it seemed, before her time--but if she had to guess, he had been either her age or a little older than her when he'd died. And if she didn't know any better, she would've presumed that he had been a soldier, judging from the type of clothing that he wore.

He surveyed the space around him thoughtfully, tearing his eyes away from Jenna's. Twisting his body this way and that, he patted himself down like he was truly amazed by whatever had happened. Jenna was immediately taken aback by the ominous bloodstain that soiled the clothing over his midsection, and avoided gaping at it. Peering at his hands that he'd held out in front of him, palms facing upward, he laughed lightly. The new sound made the eighteen year old's heart flutter for a moment.

His brown-eyed gaze flittered back to her, and he smiled. Jenna's stomach did uncontrollable flip-flops at the sight. Maggie's smile had the ability to brighten up the room, but somehow, his completely blindsided her. She had no clue of what to do about these feelings, and she definitely didn't know what to do about _him_.

He laughed again. "You have no idea how long it has taken me to do that," he told her, his voice deep and very pleasing to the ear. His voice sounded identical to the one that had addressed her last night… The handsome man looked at the clutter of books lying at his feet and grimaced. "I apologize for the mess. I seem to be having some difficulty in controlling where I end up."

Jenna finally regained her ability to speak. "W-Who are you?" she asked, freaked out once again, "How…how did you get here?"

The soldier stepped forward, maneuvering carefully through the maze of books.

"Quite a collection you have there." he commented as Jenna kept taking steps back whenever he came closer to reaching her. It was true that she was entranced by his very presence, but the fact that he was a ghost and he was _right there_, talking to her, made her wary. She believed in ghosts, but she never actually thought she'd _see_ one. He realized she was attempting to back away from him and therefore stopped moving. He gave her a respectful bow, showing an elegance that really no longer existed in the men of her own time.

"My name is Gabriel."


	3. Gabriel Martin

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own anything, with the exception of Jenna and Maggie, and their parents.**

**A/N: Once again, thank you all so much for the encouraging reviews!**

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"My name is Gabriel," he introduced, "Gabriel Martin. And I believe you are Jenna. Am I correct?"

Her heart skipped a beat or two at the sound of her name coming from his lips. She fought the blush creeping onto her cheeks, hoping he couldn't see it, and cursed her stupid hormones for kicking in at such an inconvenient time. If he saw it and said something, she'd get totally embarrassed, which would subsequently make her face flush even more. That would just help her to dig herself into a larger hole of humiliation, and she did _not_ want that to happen. She forced herself to stop blushing and focused on the task at hand--figuring out who this young man was and how he got here.

"Yeah," she replied at last, "That would be me. Jenna Copeland."

"Pleasure to meet you." He bowed again.

"You, too," Jenna said hesitantly, hand on her forehead, "I think. I'm sorry--this is…it's a lot to take in."

"I understand," He folded his arms behind his back, shuffling his feet. "I'm sure you can imagine how shaken I was when I…" he struggled to find the right words, "…woke up like this."

"So, Gabriel, is it?" she inquired, to which he nodded. "Were you in my room last night?"

"I never meant to frighten you," Gabriel confessed. "I was trying to make myself…visible, but it didn't work the why I had planned."

"And I'm guessing you were the one hovering over me all day, too?"

Gabriel was suddenly puzzled. "No. I don't know what you are talking--"

"Jenna!" Her mother's voice shouted, disrupting whatever the young soldier was going to say. Jenna knew she was right down the hall, and would most likely burst into the room without the common courtesy of knocking. She threw a fleeting glance at Gabriel, her eyes widening.

"You have to leave," she said urgently, making a shooing gesture with her hands. "Hurry--make yourself disappear!" She almost laughed at how ridiculous that seemed coming from her mouth, but she was too worried about her mother discovering Gabriel's existence. "Go!"

"I'm afraid I can't--" he cut himself off, lowering his voice to a frustrated half-whisper, "I don't know how this _works_, Jenna!"

"Jenn!"

"Yeah, Mom?" she hollered, her head whipping around the room. She reluctantly jumped forward and started pushing him toward the closet, irritated that he couldn't disappear on his own. She figured it was her screwed up luck to have a ghost in her house who had no clue what he was doing. She was immediately bewildered, though, that she could _touch_ him, and even more taken aback that he felt _normal_. He didn't radiate heat, of course, because he wasn't alive, but he wasn't cold like she thought he would be.

Gabriel finally took the hint and moved quickly, both of them knocking over books in the process.

"_Closet_!" Jenna hissed. She threw the door open and shoved Gabriel in roughly. He tugged the door closed just as Jenna's mother came barging in. Her mom scanned the room, hands on her hips. She peered at the disarray of books littering her daughter's bedroom floor, then up at a flustered Jenna who was standing in front of the closet.

"It sounded like you fell in here," she said, not bothering to question her eldest's organizational skills, "I wanted to check on you."

"Thanks…I'm good," Jenna stepped away from the closet and began tidying up the books. "I just tripped." Her mother quirked an eyebrow, skeptical. It was hard to believe that Jenna tripping over something would cause such a large mess, but these days, she could never be sure. Her daughter's odd behavior lately had her concerned. She was debating whether or not to take her to a doctor, to make certain that there hadn't been some kind of permanent damage…

"You're positive you don't need any help with…_this_?"

"Nope," Jenna scooped up some of her paperback novels and set them on the bookshelf. "I've got it under control." That statement received another incredulous look from her mom. Her mother didn't say another word. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked out the door, shutting it in her wake. Once the squeaky door closed, Jenna let out a long sigh, relief washing over her. She was pretty confident that her mother now thought she was completely crazy. Jenna even questioned her own sanity--she _had _been talking to a ghost, after all.

Advancing to the closet, Jenna asked, "Gabriel?" She opened the door and was met with thin air. _Great, _she thought with aggravation, now_ you decide to disappear. Excellent timing, Casper. _

She slammed the door shut. "Gabriel?" The teenager felt especially stupid talking to someone who was currently invisible to the human eye, but she had no idea where he was at the moment. That was something she would have to wrap her mind around; she was gradually discovering that the stereotypes made up about ghosts weren't all true. She could touch him, hold a halfway decent conversation with him, and he could obviously choose _when_ he wanted to be seen. Although, he'd had a lot of trouble with the latter.

Gabriel unexpectedly materialized out of nowhere a few feet from where she stood, scaring her again. He seemed pleased with himself, but Jenna was a little pissed off.

"Some ghost you are," Jenna remarked. "I thought you would've had plenty of time to practice this stuff. What the hell were you _doing_ for the past couple hundred years?"

"It's not as simple as it looks," Gabriel responded, attempting to be patient. "but I believe I _am_ getting better."

_Could've fooled me_, she thought with a shake of her head. Jenna didn't say it aloud, however. Even though she'd used some sarcasm while speaking to him, she didn't want to be completely rude. In spite of everything, Gabriel had done nothing but treat her with the same respect that she guessed had been instilled in him from a young age. And, she supposed he was used to receiving respect where it had been given--then again, these were much _different_ times. But in the end, Jenna couldn't actually bring herself to disrespect this young man. There was something about Gabriel that she admired.

Jenna plopped onto her bed, moving the pile of sheets. Seeing that he was just standing there, arms folded neatly behind his back, she nodded toward the swivel chair that sat in front of her desk. She didn't want to be a bad hostess, either, if he was going to be sticking around. Which, she hoped he would. Jenna didn't exactly object to Gabriel's presence; aside from the slight shock she still felt because he was...dead.

"You could sit, ya know."

Surprised, Gabriel mouthed a barely audible "Oh" and sunk down into the chair, marveling at the sheer design of it. She couldn't help but laugh when it rolled across the floor once he sat in it. He hadn't been expecting that, so he almost fell off. He made an effort to recover by forcing a grin onto his face--but Jenna caught the embarrassed but incredibly adorable "oops" expression that came before it.

Jenna studied him curiously, forgetting for a moment that he wasn't yet accustomed to the wonders of modern technology. It amazed her to think of how far their country had progressed since this young soldier died--she couldn't possibly imagine what _he_ thought of all this. Especially since he'd died for every freedom she and everyone else seemed to take for granted most of the time--freedoms Gabriel had never experienced when he was alive. That particular thought made her quite upset, in fact. It was sad that Gabriel's life had been cut short. It wasn't fair.

The two of them sat in halfway-awkward silence for a minute or so, with Jenna taking an abrupt interest in the intricate patterns in the grains of the hardwood floor. Finally, she looked at Gabriel.

"This...shouldn't be possible. I mean, I believe in it, but I never really thought...it's weird."

Gabriel pressed his hands together, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Well, here we are." He cleared his throat, then scratched the back of his neck with unease. She knew this was strange for both of them, and there wasn't any way to make the situation less awkward.

"So…" They'd both said it at the same time, glancing up to meet each other's gaze. Realizing what had happened, the two of them tried to laugh it off, averting their eyes rather quickly. Jenna began picking at a loose thread on her jean capri pants until Gabriel broke the silence, daring to create some kind of conversation.

"You first." he insisted, ever the gentleman. Jenna stopped toying with the piece of thread and thought about what to ask him. There was _a lot _she could ask him, but an obvious question ran through her mind. She didn't know whether it would be impolite to ask it.

"Umm...I don't want to...would you hate it if I asked you--"

He cut in, a knowing expression on his face. He gestured somewhat indifferently--Jenna could pick up on a hint of sadness, though--to his bloodstained clothes.

"You want to know how I got _here_. On the _other side_ of things, if you will."

"Yes," Jenna replied, wringing her sweating hands and avoiding his intense brown eyes, "Although, I'll admit your phrasing was a lot less morbid than what I was thinking."

Gabriel chuckled. Jenna stared at him expectantly, and he sat there, a million miles away, remembering. But the far off look etched into his features was slowly replaced by frustration and puzzlement.

"The trouble is, Jenna, I can't seem to remember."

"You can't remember how you died?" Jenna inquired dubiously. She couldn't ignore the lost puppy look he was currently sporting. She felt bad for him. "How is that _possible_?"

He shrugged. "Your guess would be much better than mine."

Jenna was dumbfounded. "Do you remember _an__ything_ about your life?"

Gabriel lost himself in his own thoughts. "Aside from my name and date of birth," he answered quietly, "No."

It _figured _that the first ghost Jenna had the pleasure of meeting had a horrible case of amnesia. What was she going to do about him _now_?

Not receiving a response from her, Gabriel pressed on, "When I finally regained…not exactly _consciousness_--but I suppose you know what I mean--I was standing beside a fresh grave. I was alone and quite confused, as you can very well imagine. Slowly, I realized that the grave was…"

She nodded, understanding. "You don't have to. It's okay."

He bent his head for a moment, swallowing hard. Jenna suddenly felt miserable for even bringing up the topic.

Gabriel lifted his head, but his voice was considerably lower than before, more solemn.

"To answer the question you asked of me earlier, Jenna, I've been trapped here for the past couple hundred years. I was never sure if I was permitted to leave the property around where I was buried, and for some reason, I didn't _want_ to."

"Must've been very lonely."

"It was for awhile. But there _are_ others haunting this land as well--you just haven't seen them yet. I've managed to make quite a few friends."

"If you've been stuck here, how come it's been so difficult for you to show yourself? Didn't your friends bother to teach you the ropes?"

"There was never a need for them to teach me how," Gabriel explained. "Spirits can already see each other because we are all alike. For people who are _alive_, it takes a little more effort. Until now, there wasn't a point in figuring that out."

Jenna blushed, wondering if that was a flirtatious comment in disguise.

Quiet settled in between them, and Jenna could hear the leaves rustling in the trees and a bird cooing somewhere in the distance. Gabriel was pensive again. She wondered what kind of thoughts were running through his mind, because _she _was having a tough time trying to grasp all of this. She really did feel sympathy toward him. Gabriel seemed like the type of person who had once led a great life. She couldn't shake the feeling that he had been, at one point, a person of major importance. How could he not remember that? It was bad enough dying at a young age, but to not recall your own family, or what achievements you had made, or any of the simplest memories whatsoever? It was heartbreaking.

"We'll find a way for you to remember," I told him firmly, "I'll help you, Gabe. I promise."

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**A/N: Hope you liked it...please review! **

**By the way, I'm dedicating this story to the late Heath Ledger...I know we all miss him lots, and tomorrow's going to be especially difficult for everyone. :( **


	4. A Walk in the Woods

**Disclaimer: I only wish I owned Gabriel…I do own Jenna, Maggie, and Mr. and Mrs. Copeland. And now the actual DVD of The Patriot. (I'm so happy about that!)**

**A/N: Thanks so much for your kind reviews! Sorry I haven't updated in ages, things were kind of hectic. Writer's block and all that didn't help, either. Hope you enjoy chapter 4 and are still interested in this story… As always, Jenna's thoughts are in italics.**

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Jenna could no longer disregard the sunlight spilling through the windows, nor the faint breeze ruffling her hair. Judging from the intensity of the sun's rays—even with her eyes closed—she perceived that it was somewhere around noon. It was weird how she could tell the time just by studying the inside of her eyelids. Not yet gaining the incentive to fully wake up, Jenna listened to a bird singing outside. It was close, probably perched gracefully on the railing of the porch. She was beginning to enjoy the sounds of the countryside—the pure noises created by nature—much more than the roar of city traffic and the droning of sirens and industrialization. Jenna never thought that would happen; she had figured that she was a city girl through and through. However, the tranquility she'd discovered here was a lot more pleasing. It was a real opportunity to start over, which was one thing she wanted to do right now.

Once the cooing ceased, she heard the creak of a floorboard. _That_ was her motivation to open her eyes at last. The teenager pulled herself into a sitting position, stretching her arms up over her head and letting a yawn escape from her lips. She pulled her arms behind her back, groaning when her shoulders popped and her stiff muscles came to life again. She took a moment to revel in the beauty of her brightened room—she liked it so much better during the daytime. With the amount of windows she had, the beautiful hardwood floors were sundrenched and everything felt light and airy. Like she'd said the other day to Maggie: she felt like royalty.

"I thought you would never get up." Gabriel's voice remarked from the corner by the bookshelf, where her extensive collection had been properly organized. His statement caused Jenna to jump out of her reverie. She pushed the light sea green sheet off herself and drew her knees to her chest, offering her new ghostly roommate of sorts a smile in greeting. It was still odd for Jenna to be sharing her house—mostly her room and private porch—with someone who had already passed away, especially since she was the only one in her family who knew of Gabriel's existence. Jenna wasn't sure if she would tell anyone else about him while she helped him out. It was probably safer, in the long run, to just keep him a secret. It would most likely freak Maggie out, and her parents were better off not knowing—they wouldn't understand.

"It's summer," Jenna replied pointedly, "I always sleep in late."

Sliding off the bed with a not-so-elegant thud, she ambled over to the doors leading to the porch and pushed them open. She was instantly met with the aroma of freshly cut grass and various flowery scents that carried through the breeze. She couldn't wait to actually be able to sit out on the porch with a good book and enjoy her new surroundings. Her mother had promised her that as soon as they could, they would get to work furnishing some of the private porches around the house with a few chairs, tables, and even a couch or two. Her father had been thinking of installing a couple fans into the ceilings to counteract the heat so they could sit outside comfortably.

"You _enjoy_ wasting half your day?" was Gabriel's next inquiry. Jenna whirled around at the tapping of his boots against the floor and saw that he was glancing at the pictures placed everywhere in her room, his fingertips brushing along the tops of the frames. He smirked a bit at some of them—wild photos taken with her high school friends, childhood pictures from when she and Maggie were a little younger, a collage of family vacation trips, candid shots. Jenna had always loved to take pictures everywhere she went, to keep her experiences on file so she could continue to revisit them. She had a whole box full of pictures and photo albums that were still downstairs somewhere. She'd have to sift through them later and possibly share some with Gabe if he was interested. Jenna was sure that she would be adding to that collection because of their move to South Carolina; there were a lot of amazing views to capture here. She couldn't _wait_ to get started—it was a brand new chapter in her life just begging to be documented.

Jenna got back to Gabe's question, shrugging. She didn't really know what to say.

"Time's a terrible thing to waste, Jenna," he advised. "I should know."

The expression in his eyes got visibly darker, saddened by his own words.

"Tomorrow's not always promised to you."

Jenna bit her lip, unable to come up with a response. She wasn't in the mood for a philosophical conversation when she was still trying to wake up, but Gabriel _did _have a good point. And he _would_ know more than her on the subject, as unfair and morbid as that seemed. Like everything else that she overlooked on a daily basis, she was definitely taking something so precious as time for granted. Sure, she loved to sleep in—it was a privilege, really. In Gabriel's time, she guessed that he and his family (whoever they were) got up at the crack of dawn and performed manual labor from sun up to sundown just to survive and maintain whatever household they lived in. Jenna hadn't paid attention all the time in History class, but she remembered that that was how it was in those days.

Compared to her perception of his lifestyle, she was just being lazy. She had no reason to be that way. She was a healthy young woman. However, like Gabriel had pointed out, she could never be sure if she'd wake up the next day. Gabriel was, regrettably, proof that it didn't matter how old you were.

"I'll remember that," she told him with a sincere smile, attempting to wipe the solemn look off his face. She had been around him for not very long, and already she hated that distressing look he displayed sometimes. She liked him better when he was happy and smiling. "Speaking of which…have any luck with your memories?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"We're going to have to fix that. As soon as I figure out _how_."

Jenna moved to her dresser, picking out a pair of dark denim shorts and a purple tank top, since it was already quite balmy outside. She knew that even though it wasn't this hot and humid throughout the entire year, it was considerably warmer than where she had lived previously. It was a hassle dealing with snow storms during the winter up North. It didn't usually snow in South Carolina, but it could get cold and snow was still a possibility. But it would be nothing like the conditions in Pennsylvania. She could certainly get used to _this _weather.

She threw the clothes on her bed and suddenly paused, regarding Gabe who was now standing in the doorway of the porch. It occurred to her that she had to change her clothes, but doing so with the latest knowledge of an unearthly presence made her uneasy, especially when said presence was visible and standing _right there_. Not to mention said presence was of the male gender.

"Uh, Gabe," she said slowly. He turned his attention from the scenery outside to her instead, patiently listening. "You don't…I mean…" _How do I put this?_ she thought. She decided to hold up the tank top and shorts, hoping he could put everything together himself. Gabriel raised an eyebrow and she sighed. _Eighteenth century guys and their cluelessness. Then again, guys are all naturally clueless anyway. Glad to know it was a problem back then, too._

"You don't hang around here when I'm—" she cut herself off, seeing no need to go any further with the explanation. She didn't want to; it was awkward enough. Gabriel immediately looked shocked and offended, his soft brown eyes widening once he heard Jenna's accusation.

She was relived, though, when his voice had a slight mocking tone to it, as if he was amused.

"Jenna, what kind of man do you take me for?"

"That's exactly it: a _man_."

"Not _every_ man is like that, you know."

"I was just…c'mon, you can't blame me for asking. From my perspective, that statement is incredibly hard to believe."

"It really is a shame that we've been labeled in such a way after all this time," Gabriel commented. "It's even more of disgrace that you don't believe there are men in your society with any sort of moral decency or respect for women."

"I know _all _of them aren't a lost cause, but men like that are hard to come by."

He let the subject drop before the two of them could argue any further.

"I'll let you get dressed." With that, he disappeared, leaving Jenna alone.

Once she had changed into her tank top and shorts, Jenna dug through her messy closet (she hadn't gotten to organizing that yet), rifling through smaller cardboard boxes to retrieve her camera, which was now one of her most prized possessions. It was a professional digital camera that she'd received from her parents as a graduation gift a couple short weeks ago. She hadn't really had a chance to try it out yet, and she figured today was a good a time as any to do so. After gathering her camera and making sure a new memory card had been inserted, Jenna slipped on a pair of sneakers and exited her bedroom, noting how unusually quiet it was.

She walked down to the large kitchen and discovered her father sitting at the table with his laptop. The table was in a corner as a kind of breakfast nook, with cushiony bench seating against the wall. They hadn't used that table as much since all four of them couldn't fit comfortably. However, the kitchen also had a counter with stools which jutted out into the family room. In the center of the gourmet–style kitchen was an island perfect for cooking, as well as expansive granite counters around the room that were perfect for preparing meals. The spacious cupboards were made of what looked like the same wood as the floors, and they appeared to be polished, gleaming in the afternoon sun. Jenna's favorite part of this particular room was the tiled backsplash—a vibrant green color that went well with the lighter shade of green painted on the walls.

As the teenager glanced at the table where her father sat, she noticed he had pamphlets, brochures, a pile of papers, and plane tickets sitting beside his computer. Jenna gradually recalled that her parents were going away soon for their anniversary. They'd been planning a week-long vacation, and had decided on a Mediterranean cruise. Jenna would be left taking care of Maggie, which she didn't mind too much now that she had Gabriel around as well. And, with her parents away, she would be able to do the research she needed to help the young soldier solve the mystery of his past. She wouldn't have to sneak behind her parents' backs to keep Gabriel a secret. Maybe telling Maggie about him would be a smart idea after all? Jenna still had to consider it before making that choice.

Jenna busied herself with searching through the cupboards for something to eat. They were mostly bare, since they hadn't had time to properly stock up on groceries. Finding nothing, Jenna sighed and settled with pouring herself a glass of water. She could worry about eating later on when she returned from her walk; she wasn't very hungry anyway.

"Maggie and your mom went out shopping earlier," her father said. His tone was forced and Jenna could feel the ever-present tension in the air between them. She allowed herself a glimpse of her father and saw that his eyes were focused on the screen of the laptop, never straying to look in her direction. "They should be back soon."

Jenna downed the rest of the water and put the glass in the sink. She pulled the long strap of the camera over her head so it hung on a diagonal across her body, secure. She knew she would be doing a lot of walking, and therefore she didn't want anything to happen to her precious camera, which she knew had been pretty expensive. Heading for the back door of the house, Jenna was surprised that her dad spoke to her again.

"Where are you going?" he questioned. _Why do you care?_

"_Out_." Jenna answered shortly. Without another word, she walked out the back door, which was down a smaller hallway by the back hall and the laundry room. She breathed a sigh of relief once she had left the house and grinned at the warm sunlight beating down on her from a cloudless blue sky.

The backyard was massive, stretching out on both sides for a mile or so. It had no fencing around the perimeter since the neighbors were so far away from where their house was located. Jenna felt isolated; she wasn't used to having neighbors that weren't in her line of vision. However, that feeling, even though it was strange, was kind of nice. Coming from the city, it was rather pleasant not having neighbors practically on top of you. These accommodations allowed for a lot more freedom, mainly with the amount of land they had. Beyond the shed and gardens closer to the house, there was a huge field of grass. Past that, there was a thick forest of trees. To Jenna, the forest looked like it went on forever, extending back instead of out to the sides. She wasn't sure whether they actually owned that property, but it was just sitting there, begging to be explored. She felt like a child, not a teenager, but she had always been naturally curious about her environment, especially when it was foreign to her.

The teenager crossed the field, sweating once she reached the edge of the forest. Ducking under the shelter of trees, she paused to catch her breath and cool down a bit before continuing. As she stood, she gazed up at the canopy of green above her head. It created a perfect barrier from the intensity of the heat. The sun's rays still shone through some of the spaces in between the tree branches, creating heavenly beams of light every so often. Jenna was surrounded by a strong earthy smell of tree bark, leaves, and soil, as well as the sounds of various birds and small animals scurrying about. Taking a deep breath of the fresh and exciting new scents, she began walking, following the path of gravel and dirt that had been laid out before her. She wondered, silently, if Gabriel had spent most of his days wandering this forest.

While she trudged deeper into the woods, Jenna untangled the camera strap from her body and stopped every so often to snap a picture of the trees or landscaping, taking a few moments to experiment with different angles and shots. She caught a stunning picture of the daylight filtering through the green canopy of leaves, and managed to get a photo of a bird balanced on a tree trunk that had been overturned some time ago, its bark covered in a blanket of moss. Delving further, Jenna contemplated whether or not to stray from the beaten path; she would be at ease drifting through the foliage herself. She decided not to, in the end—she would have to learn her way around this forest before she went traipsing off alone. She was afraid she would get lost.

Jenna guessed she had been outside for about two hours by the time she took a break. She sat down on a large boulder and tied her hair up into a ponytail so the breeze could cool her down a bit. She was fanning herself with a quick wave of her hand when she heard running water not too far from where she was sitting. Interested, Jenna got to her feet and pursued the source of this new noise. Traveling up the path a ways, she spotted a stream cutting through the woods, sputtering and splashing as the water tumbled over rocks of various shapes, sizes, and textures. The water was perfectly clear and shimmering, reflecting the rays of sunlight.

She went off the path and descended a small embankment where the ground was just moist soil and rocks. Standing against the edge of the small cliff that she'd climbed down, she tugged off her sneakers and set them aside, resting her camera on top of them gingerly. Making her way to the border of the stream, the teenager became aware of the tiny fish and tadpoles that resided in the water. Dipping her foot into the stream carefully, she gave a slight shiver from the cold temperature. However, as soon she planted both feet into the water, she appreciated the chilliness and also realized that the stream was a little deeper than she'd originally thought. The water just touched her knees. She waded in it, scaring the fish away before she actually had a chance to get a good look at them.

Unfortunately, she made the mistake of stepping forward and slipped on a huge, sharp rock at the bottom of the stream that had been plastered in slimy algae. A squeak of a cry escaped her mouth as she prepared for the landing that would completely soak her. She never hit the water. A hand seized her arm in a firm grip, and another hand pressed against her back, steadying her before she had the chance to fall. It had happened so fast—Jenna hadn't even realized that she'd squeezed her eyes shut.

Jenna slowly opened her eyes and was met with Gabriel's pleasant gaze. She offered a sheepish smile.

"You _are _getting better at this," she said, "Thanks."

"I'm glad you have better faith in my abilities," Gabriel replied somewhat smugly. "After all, I _did_ save you from a watery fate."

"I'm very grateful for that, actually. It wouldn't have been a very fun walk back to the house."

Gabriel released Jenna's arm and the two of them stepped out of the stream, Jenna walking ahead of him (she didn't want to slip again). Jenna plopped down on the wet ground and stuck her feet in the crystal clear water instead. She speculated on whether or not Gabriel had been following her. Either that, or he had some kind of ghostly radar to alert him when someone was in trouble. It didn't matter; she was merely curious as to how he had gotten there in time to catch her before she fell.

A slightly uncomfortable silence settled in between them before Jenna declared, "You never told me yesterday…"

"Told you what, exactly?" Gabriel took a seat next to her, his feet propped up against the edge of the stream, away from the water.

"You said you didn't remember anything but your name and birthday. What's your birthday?"

"April 4, 1758."

Jenna thought about that. "So, you're twenty."

"Well, in _theory_."

"Of course," Jenna agreed. "If we're getting technical here, you'd be…" She paused, doing the mental math. "…251 years old. _Wow_. That's—"

"Thank you for being so insensitive about my age, Jenna." Gabriel laughed.

"Hey, you look pretty good for two hundred and fifty-one."

_Did I really just say that? _Out loud_? Oh, God, I'm an idiot…_

Jenna intentionally averted her eyes, and another awkward moment descended upon them. She wished this unease would eventually disappear. Maybe once they got used to being around each other this wouldn't occur that often. Maybe if Jenna could learn to keep her mouth shut as well, things would work out better. She needed to focus on helping Gabriel and attempt to not make herself look like a complete moron.

"Independence Day is in a few days," Gabriel stated abruptly, changing the topic. Jenna was caught off guard; she wasn't aware that he kept track of anything like that. Then again, the Fourth of July was a pretty significant event for someone like him. "How do you and your family usually celebrate?"

"We watch fireworks somewhere, mostly. Or go to someone's house for a party in the backyard. None of it seems like a proper celebration, now that I think of it. Now that I'm more aware of the realities of…well, what happened for us to actually be able to _have_ an Independence Day."

"It's the patriotism that matters."

Jenna nodded, agreeing.

It made her wonder what Independence Day was going to be like this year…

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**A/N: Long chapter…haha. Hope you liked it. Please review, it's always appreciated!**


	5. Independence Day

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own anyone from The Patriot or any of the storyline from Meg Cabot's Mediator series, of which I am loosely basing this plot. I do, however, own Jenna, Maggie, and their parents as well as any other made-up character you see. **

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! I really, really appreciate everyone's words of encouragement and that you all like the story so far. I have this story pretty much planned out to an extent; it's just a matter of putting it together and typing it up. Hope you like chapter 5! Please R&R!**

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"_My country 'tis of thee,_

_Sweet land of liberty,_

_Of thee I sing!_"

Maggie's little girl voice rang melodiously through the upstairs hallway, coupled with the sound of her footfalls against the floor. It was just past ten-thirty in the morning, and she was parading through the hall waving a miniature version of the American flag in the air while singing some of the patriotic songs they usually taught to the kids in school. Maggie was dressed in red, white, and blue from head to toe—red shorts with a white shirt, which had a sprinkling of red, blue, and silver stars as well as the words, 'Home of the Brave' emblazoned across it in front of a picture of the flag, along with a pair of blue flip-flops. Her dark curls had been pulled up into a ponytail, presumably by their mother, and she had a red fishing-type hat on her head. She liked dressing up for the holidays—she always had. Even though the full weight of what Independence Day was really about couldn't be completely comprehended by her eight year old mind, she knew the basics of what they'd taught her in school. But her favorite part of the day, by far, was the fireworks.

The eight year old paused outside the door of her elder sister's bedroom, wondering how to go about carrying through with her appointed task. Her mother had sent her upstairs to wake Jenna up, and although she knew her big sister wouldn't get mad at her, she wasn't sure what to do. If she knocked, chances were that Jenna wouldn't hear it if she was still asleep. Should she go in and jump on her bed? She'd done that before and it had been a lot of fun. Jenna had woken up right away and they'd had a pillow fight which quickly had progressed into a tickle fight instead.

Rocking back and forth on her heels, Maggie decided to let Jenna sleep a bit longer, resuming the song that she'd been singing before.

"_Land where my fathers died!_

_Land of the Pilgrim's pride!_

_From every mountain side,_

_Let freedom ring!_"

All of a sudden, the fine hairs on Maggie's arms stood on end. She glanced around, twirling the stick that held the American flag between her fingers. Blue eyes filled with both confusion and fear, she backed up a couple of steps from the door and leaned back, looking up and down the hall. A strange chill came over her and she shivered, getting the distinct feeling that someone was watching her. She couldn't exactly explain or understand it, but it seemed like there was a presence here that didn't like her very much. Ever since Jenna had asked her those questions about the house possibly being haunted, she'd been on edge. She didn't want to admit it to her sister, but she'd been experiencing some weird things, too. Things that scared her; that she didn't like very much. She hoped they would disappear soon—she didn't want to worry Jenna. Maybe it was just her sister's words that had simply put ideas in her head, causing her to imagine things.

There was a slight breeze which swept through the hallway from an unknown source, stirring Maggie's clothes and her ponytail peeking out from under her hat. As far as she could tell, none of the windows were open. She'd felt this odd breeze before, too, and it always made her so cold…

Maggie reached for the handle of her sister's bedroom door, frightened. Her hand had barely graced the cool metal before Jenna tugged it open, greeting her younger sibling with a broad smile. She was already dressed and alert, like she'd been up for some time now. Briefly, Maggie found this weird, since her sibling was rarely up this early on her own, especially when she didn't have school.

"Hey, Mags, I really liked your—" Jenna cut herself off, her cheerful smile fading. She saw the panic-stricken expression plastered on Maggie's face. It immediately worried her, being the overprotective elder sibling that she was. "Are you all right?"

"Uh-huh." Maggie lied, peering down the hall again. Jenna leaned out the doorway, following her sister's gaze with interest and perplexity. She raised an eyebrow, crystal blue eyes scanning the emptiness. Her eyes darted back to her sister, who was still staring off in the other direction. Jenna tapped her lightly on the shoulder to gain her attention. Maggie's head snapped up with a start, locking her shocked stare with Jenna's.

"You're sure everything's okay?" Jenna was skeptical. She knew her sister well. This _wasn't _Maggie's normal behavior. Something was definitely bothering her, but Jenna didn't want to force any information from her. Maggie would tell her everything when she was ready, or so she hoped.

"Yes."

"What did you need me for?"

"Mom told me to wake you up." Maggie explained, toying with the fabric of the flag in her hands.

"I've been up since nine."

"Oh…well, Daddy said we're leaving in a little bit."

"_Leaving_? Where are we going?"

Maggie shrugged. "To see the Revolutionary War."

Jenna's face went from being somewhat confused to completely puzzled. She didn't have a chance to ask Maggie what she'd meant by that because her little sister had started skipping toward the stairs. She didn't make any effort to call her back. Instead, Jenna closed the door to her bedroom, shaking her head. The only thing that Jenna could make of her sibling's statement was that her parents were going to drag them off to some history museum for the day. Surprisingly, that thought wasn't as annoying or potentially boring as it could've been. Having a deceased soldier from the period where the American Revolution had been fought had changed Jenna's outlook on the whole subject of history. Maybe some good would come from this outing with her family—maybe she'd find something that would help Gabriel.

The eighteen year old crossed the room to the mirror that had finally been placed on her wall, and grabbed a brush to comb through her hair. She noticed Gabriel in the mirror behind her, thumbing through a book of hers—_The Giver_. It was one of her favorites; the copy she had was worn out from having it so long and reading it many times over. She could never really get sick of that book.

"You should read that," she told him, "I think you'd find it interesting, considering it sort of relates to your…situation."

"The main character is deceased?"

Jenna chuckled. "No. It has a lot to do with memories."

He nodded, closing the book and pushing it back into its respective spot in the shelf until he got around to reading it thoroughly. Jenna set her hairbrush down and turned to face him. He was leaning against the shelf, skimming through the titles again. He liked her bookshelf, she'd noticed. Not only was it where he'd ended up the first time they met, but Jenna also guessed that maybe he'd been an avid reader in his day. That was an assumption, of course. She didn't know of many guys her age or older who would willingly sit down and read a book. Then again, she had to constantly remind herself that Gabriel wasn't a guy from her time period. She wished more guys now were like him, though.

"So…do you want to go with us?"

That got his attention. "Pardon?"

"My family's going on some history-themed expedition today. As Maggie put it, we're going to 'see the Revolutionary War'—not sure what that involves, really, but you're welcome to come with us. That is, if it isn't too…difficult for you."

Jenna knew the war could possibly still be a sore subject with him, so she didn't want to push it too much.

"Perhaps it will help bring back some memories."

"I was thinking the same. Although, that may not be the most pleasant thing…"

"They're my memories, Jenna. I don't exactly have control over whether or not they are pleasant. They are what they are. I cannot change that."

"Unfortunately." She mumbled, letting her blue eyes wander to the dark blood stain on his clothing for a few short moments. She hated that—she really did. It wasn't that it grossed her out; it made her angry, if anything. She knew that the Revolutionary War had been completely necessary since ultimately no one saw another way to work everything out, but in her mind, that didn't justify the killing of men his age and younger, or the merciless killings of innocent people who weren't soldiers. Couldn't they have settled it…_peacefully_, without bloodshed? To put it simply, she didn't see the point in war. What point could be made by lining up on a battlefield and shooting at one another until one side was completely wiped out? Gabriel would most likely disagree with some of her thoughts, but that was an argument she wanted to save for another time.

Grabbing a pair of sunglasses from her dresser, she approached the door. "Coming?"

"Better than staying here all day, I suppose."

Jenna narrowed her eyes at him. "Hey, that's my house you're talking about. I'd watch it if I were you. You insult my house again, I'll have to start calling you Gabrielle. Or _Gabriella_. It's only fair."

Gabriel cringed, a smile tugging at his lips. "I did not mean anything by it. Honest."

"Sure you didn't," Jenna crossed her arms over her chest. _I'm totally flirting with him… _she thought, amused. He was clearly not enjoying being called a girl, either. Maybe he was simply playing along. She wasn't positive. "Ooh, look, your hair's even long…_Gabriella_." She gestured to his somewhat wavy golden blond hair, which was thrown up in a short and messy ponytail, secured with a piece of cloth.

"Now, this is where I draw the line," Gabriel smiled, "First you mock my age, then you mock my hair…is this how you usually make friends with others?"

"Is it working?" she challenged. _Is he flirting _back_?_

"As of this moment, I would have to go with a resounding _no_," he teased. "Undoubtedly, they must have omitted the lessons on kindness at your school, or you simply never took heed of those details."

Jenna looked at him, wide-eyed. "Ouch, I'm impressed. I think you just burned me in your fancy eighteenth-century lingo."

"And you've bewildered me with yours."

"Touché," Jenna stuck out her hand and they shook on it. "We're even." She was about to open her bedroom door when she stopped, another thought hitting her. "You're going to have to make yourself invisible the entire day, or else my parents will have a lot of questions I'm not prepared to answer."

"I'm better at that, remember?" he reminded Jenna. Suddenly, he evaporated into thin air right in front of her. She looked around quickly, her eyes wide.

"Gabe? How am I supposed to know where you are?" she asked, hands on her hips. Something brushed against her ear and made her jump. Whipping her head back and forth, she tried to find out where he was.

"You can still hear me," He whispered into her ear. His hand, invisible to the eye but nevertheless a solid presence, settled on her shoulder. It immediately startled her again; it wasn't that cold, but the action had been unexpected. "And I am able to contact you, if you're unsure whether or not I'm there. If you need that reassurance, of course. I won't be running away on you."

"I hope not."

"Not anytime soon."

"Good. It wouldn't hurt to have my own personal tour guide today."

"Then, allow me to escort you."

It was a little odd to be speaking to a disembodied voice, but Jenna went with it. She left her room at last, with Gabriel—supposedly—at her side. Traveling downstairs to the kitchen, she put on her sunglasses, pushing them up above her forehead so they would stay there until she needed them. She found her sister seated at the kitchen table, twirling her little flag, while her mother stood at the sink washing dishes from what Jenna guessed had been the breakfast she didn't come downstairs for. Her father, however, was nowhere in sight.

"Jenna," her mother looked up, offering a smile, "Nice of you to join us. I didn't know what to think when Maggie said you've been up since nine o'clock this morning. No breakfast?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

"Your father's loading the cooler into the car. We should be leaving shortly." She wiped her hands off on a towel and began putting the dishes and coffee mugs into the cabinets above the sink. "Maggie, why don't you go ask your father if he needs anything else for the car?" Maggie, nodding, skipped toward the back door humming another one of her patriotic songs, and went outside.

"Did he say where we're going?" the teenager asked, avoiding her mom's hard glance after referring to her father as _he_ instead of something more respectful and polite. Pausing her current chore, Mrs. Copeland stopped to address the matter.

"Jenn, how much longer are you going to drag this out?" she wanted to know. "It's been almost three months."

"Mom, I don't want to talk about this right now."

"This grudge of yours needs to end, honey—"

"_Please_, Mom, can we discuss this _later_?"

Jenna's cheeks were beginning to turn a light shade of pink, knowing that Gabriel was somewhere in the room listening and watching this conversation unfold. She knew he wouldn't be the type of person to pry at her private business and family issues, but it was still embarrassing. He would have a lot of questions about it—questions he would never ask, until Jenna was willing to bring it up herself. She wasn't sure if she wanted to dig up the memories from that horrendous night and explain everything to a ghost from the eighteenth century. She was sure that he wouldn't understand much of it.

Still, her mother persisted. Jenna sighed in defeat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"—I can't stand seeing the two of you not speaking to each other. Whatever happened to 'forgive and forget'?"

"_I'm_ not the only one who's having a hard time with that. Try talking to_ him_."

"You're both so stubborn," she mused. "Just…promise me you won't fight today. Maybe a nice, family outing will do you both some good."

Jenna tried to open her mouth to say something, but her mother stopped her, holding up a hand.

"I think you might want to bring your camera for this one." She smiled.

"Why?"

"We're seeing a Revolutionary War re-enactment."

Jenna had to prevent her mouth from dropping open. This wasn't what she'd been expecting. Far from it, actually. She thought they were visiting a museum somewhere with a special exhibit devoted to the events surrounding Independence Day, or at least some kind of American History museum, with a fireworks display at night. But a Revolutionary War _re-enactment_? That sounded both very fascinating and slightly foreboding. She wondered if Gabe was still all right with tagging along now that they were going to be witnessing _his_ past played out in front of them like some live-action movie. Then again, maybe this would definitely spark some of his memories…

Yet, Jenna was even worried about_ that_. What would being surrounded by war _again_ do to him?


End file.
